Mystery publishing, from idea to bookshelf

May 31, 2015

Library Journal special mysteries issue

The April 15 issue of Library Journal focuses on mysteries, still the dominating genre in library fiction circulation. Kristi Chadwick's "Not Your Usual Suspects" offers quick previews of about fifty forthcoming titles, including supernatural, cozy, historical, sci-fi, fantasy, and spy stories, along with novels starring detectives of color (see list below). There's a sidebar on Brash Books, a publisher aiming to corner the market on great backlists; another sidebar, on Charlaine Harris; and, at the back, reviews of newly-published thrillers.

I must confess I got excited by the subtitle of Chadwick's article, which mentioned "genre-bending plots." I misread this as "gender-bending." I'd love to see more gender-bending plots in fiction!